Temporary Partner
by Celeste.J.Evans
Summary: While Castle's away, Beckett gets a new parter and things get a little...complicated. Set sometime in the future. My gift to beatingoutsamba.


**It's a day late but this was my Christmas gift to beatingoutsamba. Love you my darling. Thanks for being awesome.**

**It's set probably a year or so after they've been dating.**

**As always you can follow me on twitter **vatrask** or on my new blog: **madamewriterofwrongs (.blgogspot) .com

**Enjoy **

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Beckett pushed him up against the closet door the moment it closed, her lips fusing to his in a rippling wave of passion. She only released him when she dipped her head to press her mouth to his neck and sternum "one month." She breathed hot air against his neck "a whole month away. We'll talk every day."

"I miss you already." He groaned, his arms sliding down her body.

She caught his hand before he could reach her behind, smirking even as she licked her lips "behave yourself."

He pulled her body flush against his, the full weight of her body pressing into his. "I'd rather be naughty. After all; it'll be a whole month before I get to do this again." He kissed her roughly again.

She pushed him back against the door, his head falling back "be_have_" she warned "and if you're really good I might set up the webcam this weekend." She kissed him lightly this time, absorbing some of the shock that came from fantasy-induced promises. "Bye, Castle." She bit her lip, pushing him over so she could open the door.

It was a full two minutes before the writer emerged from his stasis and slipped out of the precinct so as to not be distracted further by his muse.

Meanwhile Beckett was sitting at her desk and trying desperately not smile at thoughts of her writing who was trying to silently slip out of the precinct. "Detective Beckett," she shot up, startled as the captain called her into her office. Great; that never meant anything good. She slithered into the corner office, barely making eye contact with the over-confident monkey-suited patsy sitting in one of the chairs.

"Sir?"

"Beckett, I'd like you to meet Detective Alan Morris." She nodded to the man, appraising his toned physique and cocky, blue-eyed grin. "He's just recently travelled from the 3rd precinct."

She offered a close-mouthed grin "welcome."

"And he'd going to be your partner."

If she had been sipping coffee – which she would have been doing on any normal day – it would have been all over the captain's blouse. "What? Sir"

"Temporary partner." Gates amended, raising her hands to calm the detective down "Until we can find him a permanent partnership." She shrugged "besides, this is the perfect time to provide you with a temporary replacement for your…absent partner." She offered her detective, who was _this_ close to blushing, a pointed look. Ever since Gates discovered their office romance she'd been just as annoyed at their relationship and even more peeved about their unique partnership but surprisingly calm and not willing to break up the team because of some silly regulations.

Beckett bit her lip to keep the snide remarks and useless protests at bay. She reluctantly nodded, sparing no second glance to Detective Morris before walking haughtily out of the office.

She could feel her new annoyance nipping at her heels before sliding into his temporarily new seat across from her at the desk that had almost always been empty. And he stared at her. Just sat there with his hand resting on his chin, staring at her while she worked. It was seconds before she lost her temper. "What?"

"Did you know that you have gorgeous eyes?" She rolled her _gorgeous_ eyes and returned to her paperwork; they were in for an interesting time.

A month later, Castle stood in the elevator of the twelfth precinct, tossing a small velvet box in the air. As the door dinged, indicated his arrival on the appropriate floor, he shoved it in his pocket just as the doors opened and Ryan looked up out of habit. "Hey, Castle!"

His partner looked up "hey, bro welcome back."

The writer's eyes automatically fell to Beckett's chair but found it empty and a quick sweep of the break room found it empty of his girlfriend as well. "I think I saw her say something about the supply closet around the corner." He startled when Ryan spoke with a leer but Esposito elbowed him, shaking his head furiously. But Castle was already down the hallway, his hand fisted over the velvet box in his pocket as he hurried down the hallway to where his girlfriend was waiting for him inside the storage closet just as she said she would.

He was more than a little jitter as he skipped around the corner to where his girlfriend – he couldn't stop saying that all day: his girlfriend, his _girlfriend_ – was currently waiting for him in a supply closet in a precinct full of cops. There was no reason not to be jittery.

Wanting to surprise her, he didn't knock before he opened the door and immediately wished he had. There was Kate looking dishevelled and thoroughly sexed; or maybe that was just the shock of seeing a man – who wasn't him – thrown against the wall, while his hands brushed against her hips and a fiery gaze pierced her eyes. He no longer felt his heart beating in his chest, it had dropped down to his stomach and the frantic motions churned his stomach to the point of near humiliation.

What was worse was that Beckett was blushing – hard – and staring at him with wild, embarrassed eyes. His heart broke in two. "Rick" she breathed even as the other man took notice of the scene and completely ignored it.

"Excuse me, do you mind? We're a little busy here."

Rick couldn't even think about punching the bastard out. "I'm sorry wh-who are you?"

He extended his hand – the asshole – "Detective Morris, I'm Detective Beckett's partner. And you are?"

"I'm" he tilted his head, trying to wrap his head around the entire situation "I thought that Detective Beckett already had a partner." He could meet her eyes for the life of him.

"Just some writer," Morris shrugged, completely missing the jolt it gave the other two, leaning in to the other man in a conspiratorial whisper "and it's not like he's here is he?"

Castle was walking away before Kate could finish calling out his name so she chased after him, slamming the door in Morris's face in the process. "Rick." Several heads popped up from their work as the writer turned on his heel to face her.

"You don't get to call out to me like that." She stumbled back when he stood his ground firmly. "After what I just saw? I _trusted_ you and the minute I turn around you stab me in the back…I…" His fingers curled into fists at his sides, keeping him from saying more that he'd regret. "I can't even look at you right now." This time, she let him walk away, a numbing sensation taking over all of her non-mandatory functions. Beckett worked hard to blink away the tear as she managed to take a single stop forward and her foot brushed something. She looked down and found a small velvet box. Gingerly, she knelt to grab it, her fingers running over the smooth material with a heightened sense of wonder. She looked to the nearest desk – Brian's – but he shrugged, offering her a sympathetic look.

"I think Castle dropped it when he…left." She swallowed, her eyes automatically coming back to the box in her hand. She had to open it; but her hands were shaking so much that it took a minute before she could gather the courage. She gasped at the beautiful but simple diamond ring in her hand – the ring she'd saved on her computer in a moment of weakness several months ago. An engagement ring.

"What's everyone staring at?" All eyes turned to Detective Morris who was still the clueless little jackass. Beckett was determined to clue him in.

"They're staring at the arrogant, idiotic shit for brains who has his head shoved so far up his ass that he can't tell when to back off." She was practically storming over to him, ready to hit him or shoot him or something equally violent to see if it would fix the situation. "This entire situation is your fault. You just don't get when to quit, do you? Well I am sick of your attitude and I am done playing nicey-nice as your temporary partner. I want you out of my sight by the end of the day or I will remove you from my sight do you understand me?" His wide eyes – admittedly very frightened – darted around to the room full of homicide detectives who were giving him equally vicious glare. The captain was barely paying attention so no one was going to report her behavior. He was on his own.

"Yeah but god, who was that guy anyways?"

She swallowed, staring down at the ring "he's my fiancé." She finally decided, practically taking a running leap towards the stairs.

She caught Castle in the lobby and called out to him once more except this time he kept walking away from her so she ran fast, catching him as he pushed the front door open, and dragging him into the nearest empty room which happened to be a closet. "Castle let me explain"

"There's no need to explain; I have eyes."

"But not much sense." She ran a hand over his cheek, half to keep him in place and half to reassure him "do you really think I would be sleeping with another man? I love you; I would never do anything like that to hurt you."

"Well excuse me for jumping to conclusions when I see you in the closet with another man in almost the exact same position we were in a month ago."

She cringed "yes it does look bad but it wasn't my fault."

"What, he came on to you and you just couldn't resist?"

"Yes," she insisted, despite his sarcastic remark "well, he wouldn't stop coming on to me. So I took him into the closet so I could tell him to back off _in private_ but he still wouldn't back down." She hesitated which made Castle even more nervous. "He…he kissed me and I pushed him away. _That's_ what you saw." She softened "I would never hurt you like that…not my soon-to-be husband?" She held up the ring box that she hadn't released since she'd used it as a stress ball against Morris upstairs. While he stared wide eyed at her, she slipped the ring on her left hand.

She looked up him apprehensively so he couldn't help the twinkle in his eyes "I don't know; maybe I don't want to marry you anymore." Fear surged through her for half a second before she caught on.

"Well I'm sorry to say that you don't really have a choice." She slipped her arms around his neck.

"I guess I can live with that." His smile was blindingly bright as they met in the middle for a sweet, slow kiss.

A while later, they stepped off the elevator of the 12th precinct to find the entire floor watching them in anticipation so she rolled her eyes and lifted up her left hand so everyone could start applauding. She slowly got caught up in the joy and excitement of becoming engaged, shaking hands and accepting cheek kisses. They made their way back to their desk to find Morris still there, a little shaken but still there.

"I thought I told you I wanted you out of my sight." He flinched and Beckett burst into laughter. "Oh how rude of me. Richard Castle, meet Detective Alan Morris. Detective Morris, this is my partner Richard Castle."

Morris looked like he was actually going to offer his hand but a glare from the writer made him retract. "I-I put in my transfer with Captain Gates. She says she wants to see you." His eyes were still slowly trained on the writer, sizing the other man up.

"Alright," she gave into the urge to kiss her fiancé's cheek – she couldn't stop saying that: her fiancé, her fiancé – and made her way towards the Captain's office "I'll be back. No defending my honor until I'm back to get a few rounds in." Morris loudly gulped and she was this close to falling over in laughter. The man who had spent the last month taking every possible opportunity to flash his bravado and try to feel her up was completely gone.

"I make no promises" Castle called, smiling when Beckett held the edge of the doorframe and turned around to the two men.

"You've made a few promises today mister, you better plan on keeping at least _one_ of them." He couldn't keep the grin off his face if he wanted to, the world – and Detective Morris – falling into the background of the world that was just them.

"Always."


End file.
